Marienhof
by Willowrs
Summary: A brief glimpse at Kerstin and Juliette after they leave Marienhof and move to France. Marienhof: A German soap, the storyline of Kerstin and Juliette played out over 6 months at the beginning of 2011 The chapter titles were taken from a 1-100 word table for fiction prompts.
1. Closet

Closet (Schrank)

Juliette is in the kitchen attempting to make her Großmutter's, _Petit Madeleine's _for the bakery, but she isn't having much luck as yet. Thankfully Kerstin continues to faithfully test her random concoctions. Her frustration is beginning to show and Kerstin is thinking of ways to belay her ire, though she is fairly good humoured about the whole thing. Especially given that this is her fourth attempt in two days. Apparently faulty memory and an inability to decipher her Großmutter's… no her _Grandmere's_ Kerstin corrects herself… spidery script is getting the better of her. Kerstin knows that eventually she will ask her mother to decipher it for her, but for now her independence is firmly asserting itself.

Kerstin is enjoying watching the tiny furrow appearing between Juliette's eyebrows, she has never looked more beautiful than she does right now, all rapt concentration and floured cheeks. Her lips are moving silently as she tries out different combinations of a word she cannot read to see what might be the most likely one.

Kerstin smiles knowing that Juliette is occupied for the time being and turns back to her own work making sure the accounts tally. She taps her pencil lightly against her teeth as she submerses herself back into the numbers. Her mind refuses to cooperate though; she'd far rather watch Juliette she swivels her chair around so that she can. Her thoughts begin to wander until suddenly she blurts out what is on her mind.

"Why have I never looked at other women?"

Kerstin watches Juliette stop what she is doing with a gentle huff of frustration; though Kerstin knows it is directed at the recipe book and not at her. She watches her dust her floury hands off on her skirt and come closer.

"_Quoi_ _ma cherie_?" comes the patient response though unusually in French which indicates just how deeply embroiled she is in what she is doing.

"Why have I never looked at other women?"

"Does it matter? You love me, I love you, so that is all for me." She asks with a laconic shrug, though not dismissive of Kerstin's query.

Kerstin frowns "Of course I do, I was never questioning that, but why you?" then at Juliette's look of bewilderment she quickly clarifies "No, I mean; why so suddenly?" she smiles softly "Not _why you_. I know _why _you. How could I not love you?"

Juliette looks at her thoughtfully and realises that this is simply something Kerstin is curious about not that she is questioning them right now. She smiles "Have you ever thought that maybe you were just so far in the closet you might have been able to find Christmas presents?" she counters teasingly with a raised eyebrow.

Kerstin looks at her in utter confusion "Why does our wardrobe have anything to do with this and why would I be looking for gifts in there?"

Juliette's eyebrows rise in unison and she chuckles. A frown lowers over Kerstin's face and Juliette realises that maybe Kerstin isn't ready to see the funny side, but with Kerstin's continued confusion, she realises that perhaps it is more that Kerstin simply does not understand the phrase.

"I'm not laughing at you Kerstin. It's just a phrase. To be in the closet means you are hiding from people that you are gay, that you have not come out yet. It is not meant to be taken so literally _ma cherie_."

She moves to stand in front of her, gently brushing a hand across her cheek causing Kerstin to look up at her "I'm sorry. I forget. I'm sorry if you thought I was laughing at you, I wasn't, or rather I didn't mean to."

Kerstin smiles "It's okay, I was being oversensitive and I didn't understand. Are there more of these strange sayings?"

"Probably," replies Juliette smiling "but generally they are of little consequence, just in-jokes or comments. If I think of one you should know I will tell you, yes?"

Kerstin smiles up at her placing her hands on Juliette's hips "If you think so. How are the _Madeleine's_ coming along? Are you ready to ask your _Maman_ yet?" she asks, changing the subject.

"Hmm, now who is teasing?" huffs Juliette good humouredly her hands raising to Kerstin's shoulders her arms linking round Kerstin's neck. "Not yet, I'm sure I can work it out, if only I could remember, I made them often enough with her. It's frustrating."

"I'd noticed. You have flour on your cheek by the way" Kerstin says brushing at the offending flour with the pad of her thumb, and then winding her arms around the younger woman's waist.

"Thank you. I must be wearing more than has gone into those _agaçant_ biscuits by now." She pauses then changes the subject "Do you want to go out this weekend? They have a gay night at _La Petit Scène_ like the Rainbow night at _Foxy's_"

Kerstin looks at her uncertainly she still feels rather shy about going to places that are gay designated "Sure, but why there particularly?"

"It's not about just being around 'gay people' Kerstin." Juliette replies patiently "It's about not isolating ourselves and sometimes being around people who are never going to stare and comment. Sometimes I find that it is nice to be able to relax more freely in public"

"I thought you had never hidden who you were?" Kerstin asks curiously.

"I haven't. Sometimes though I think that you are still uncomfortable and I like going out with you, so if we went somewhere that was friendly maybe you would be more relaxed? Besides I don't shout it from the rooftops that's not really my way."

"No you don't. I still don't understand why this involves a wardrobe."

Juliette laughs and kisses her "Honestly Kerstin, don't worry about it so. It really doesn't matter. I'm going back to my _Madeleine's"_ then at Kerstin's look she adds "This is my last attempt, but I am nearly done. If they don't work this time I will ask _Maman_, alright?"

Kerstin nods in relief "Okay, I can only be your guinea pig so many times. You are so stubborn; I don't know why you didn't just ask her to start with."

Juliette turns back to the kitchen muttering about being sure she was capable of working it out for herself.

"Juliette?" Kerstin calls after her "_Ich liebe dich._"

Juliette turns slightly "Je t'aime Kerstin" she says a huge smile on her face for she never gets tired of hearing Kerstin spontaneously saying that to her.


	2. Content

Content

Kerstin loves to watch Juliette sleep; she does so with such childish abandon, curled up on her side facing Kerstin with her hands tucked up loosely beneath her chin. It is a sight Kerstin suspects she will never tire of seeing Juliette looking so inexplicably peaceful.

Kerstin is lying on her side, her head propped up on one hand. There are unpacked boxes around the edge of the room for they have only been here a couple of days and the shipping company finally delivered the last of their things from Marienhof. The closet that caused her so much consternation only this morning is looming darkly from the shadows in a comforting manner since she now understands it better, or rather the concept of it since it is an inanimate object and doesn't actually require much understanding in and of itself.

Her free hand is idly sifting through Juliette's hair which is already tousled in sleep; she is gentle with her touches as she doesn't want to wake her. She watches the smile slowly blossom on her girlfriends face as she snuggles closer to Kerstin's warmth. Kerstin wasn't surprised to find that Juliette was a snuggler, she saw that one coming quite clearly.

The pre-dawn is gradually changing from almost black to a dull pinkish grey, she's never known night's to be quite as dark as they are here. Juliette says it is because there is less electric light here than in Marienhof which was always pretty dark. Kerstin likes it here for they can see even more of the stars. Juliette carefully points out the constellations to her telling her their names in French and German and sometimes, if she knows it, in English too. Kerstin only recently found out that she speaks yet another language, at least to an extent. She's starting to feel more than a little inept, though her own English is reasonably passable.

Juliette stirs and Kerstin suddenly regrets her impetuous hair stroking knowing that it was more for her own benefit than the sleeping Juliette's.

"_Was ist lös_?" she asks sleepily, looking up at Kerstin and reaching out to her.

Kerstin is impressed that even half asleep Juliette can manage to ask her in German. "Nothing, I was just watching you. Sleep my dreamer, it's still dark" she is quick to reassure her.

Juliette smiles at her "you should perhaps take your own advice _cherie; _you can spend all day watching me if you like so why do it now?"

"It's different; you're different somehow, in the moonlight…with that damn closet looming. I bet you don't even hide Christmas presents in there do you?" she teases gently.

"Well, that would be too obvious; you would have found them by now with all of the time you've spent in there" Juliette sleepily replies. "I'm going back to sleep even if you aren't _cherie_. Midnight chats make me cranky in the morning."

"That's true." Kerstin murmurs teasingly "Sleep love" she adds, gently kissing her.

"Humph, always teasing when I am defenceless."

Kerstin knows that there is no real argument in her words but before she can reply she realises that Juliette has already drifted off again, an arm now flung carelessly over Kerstin's waist clutching at the fabric of her night shirt, her head tucked low under Kerstin's chin causing little puffs of warm air to hit her chest in a soothing rhythmic pattern.

Kerstin smiles, she can't believe it took her so long to decide to be with this enigmatic and loving woman, for right now she feels more content than she has done in years and can't imagine being anywhere else. Sighing, she snuggles down to sleep, her nose nestling into Juliette's hair knowing that she can now be near her scent whenever she chooses rather than settling for an illicit scarf left in haste.


	3. Earrings

Earrings

Kerstin watches Juliette working in the kitchen entirely immersed in her task. On this occasion she has a piping bag in hand and is carefully putting the finishing touches to a tray of pralines for the shop tomorrow, before she begins dinner for the two of them.

Kerstin is looking forward to finding out what Juliette is going to create for them, though she hopes it is relatively simple as they have both been working all day. Kerstin recalls she mentioned trying out one of her _Grandmaman's_ recipes from the fat, handwritten book she picked up from her _Maman's_ when they first arrived. She then spent the evening curled up beside Kerstin on the couch happily perusing it as if it were a lost friend. Which, Kerstin supposes, it is for she knows how close Juliette was to her _Grandmaman_. She just hopes that is doesn't end up as complicated as the _Petit Madeleine_ incident last week.

Kerstin breaks free of her reverie and continues her observation of Juliette. She enjoys seeing the white beaded earrings she wears swaying as she works. She never wears any others so Kerstin has come to the conclusion that maybe they are all she owns, whether due to lack of interest, or the practical need for minimalism her previously nomadic nature required.

She watches her carry out each movement of the piping bag with deft movements in a now well choreographed dance, hands moving with unerring precision.

Kerstin suspects that Juliette made the earrings herself; she knows she has some ability in that department though she rarely seems to show it outside of a kitchen environment. She knows that the long blue-green scarf she wears was knitted by her when she was a teenager. Painstaking hours spent trying not to drop a stitch, under her _Grandmaman's _watchful yet encouraging eye, for she was not a natural knitter as she has quietly confessed to Kerstin, stating that her _Grandmaman_ used to despair of her attempts.

It took her so long and is as long as it is for her _Grandmaman_ died whilst she was making it and Juliette didn't know how to cast off on her own. Also she couldn't bear the idea of finishing it, as that meant her _Grandmaman_ was really gone. In the end she finally had to ask her _Maman_ how to finish it for she was running out of wool. Now she wears it, not just because it is ridiculously warm, Kerstin knows for she borrowed it once, but because she finds it comforting and it makes her feel near her _Grandmaman_.

Kerstin suddenly realises that she has been staring at Juliette for some time, her book forgotten on the seat next to her.

"You are going to burn a hole in my side _Cherie_." Juliette says with evident amusement, though she never looks up from what she is doing. Kerstin blushes at being caught though she's not sure how Juliette knew.

"Oh don't blush so, it's not as if I mind" she adds, finally glancing up at her, albeit briefly. A soft smile is playing across her lips and her eyes are shining brightly at her before she turns back to the piping bag and the tray of pralines.

She finishes the final two with a subtle flourish "_voila_!" she utters quietly to herself evidently pleased with the results and making Kerstin smile at her satisfaction. She watches as Juliette puts the piping bag down on the surface and dusts her hands off on her apron, then picks up the tray and puts it in the fridge.

"So then, dinner?" she asks turning to Kerstin even as she is wiping down the surface she has been working at.

Kerstin shakes her head a shy smile playing across her lips.

"No?" asks Juliette in mock surprise placing a hand on her hip "well then, what shall we do?" her eyes are twinkling again and Kerstin laughs outright, happy that they can be so playful with each other.


End file.
